1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the selection of pork bellies with respect to leanness and quality and more particularly to a method of grading pork bellies by flattening them to a pre-selected thickness and measuring the thickness at a plurality of locations to establish an average thickness and grade.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the conventional grading of pork bellies, the bellies are mechanically weighed into various weight grades. Those grades are usually classified 12 lbs and below, 12 lbs-14 lbs, 14 lbs-16 lbs, and so on. These weight grades have traditionally been reflective of varying size hogs which in turn determine the various sizes of bellies. Belly thickness had a direct relationship to the fatness or leanness of bellies, and the fatness or leanness of bellies had direct impact on bacon quality. Generally thinner (leaner) bellies were of higher quality and were worth more.
In today's meat industry, and because of improved genetics and nutritional management, heavier bellies are not necessarily lower in quality. Various methods have been developed mechanically, through either manual or automatic means, to grade pork bellies by thickness. While these have been reasonably successful, there is a need to more precisely grade pork bellies taking into consideration the thickness and surface area to establish greater leanness and higher quality. It is to this need that the present invention is directed.